Voices of America
The first part of our program has students investigate first person narratives from different cultures, communities, and experiences in America. Comprehensive reflection activities at the end of each lesson create group discussions on diversity and equality, and help students foster empathy for the experiences of others. All of the directions, content, and materials for the five Voices of America Narrative lessons are included within the box.
IN EACH OF FIVE LESSONS, STUDENTS WILL EXPLORE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN AMERICA AND REFLECT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPATHY AND EQUALITY.
Voices of America Narratives
Students will meet Melba Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine, and learn about her experience as one of the first African American students to integrate into an all-white school.
LESSON OVERVIEWStudents will examine a personal account of writer and editor Nicole Chung, exploring her identity as a Korean American adoptee who was raised in a predominantly white Oregon town.
LESSON OVERVIEWStudents will read the poem “Mother Country,” where Cuban writer Richard Blanco provides an unbridled emotional account of his mother’s journey to America, capturing the struggle of choosing an identity.
LESSON OVERVIEWStudents will listen to the story of Chike Nwoffiah, a Nigerian theater director who came to America in the 1900s, and discover how his culture was shaped by various experiences, beliefs, traditions, and people.
LESSON OVERVIEWStudents will read a personal narrative by Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first U.S. Olympic athlete to wear a hijab while competing, that describes her experience as a Muslim American.
LESSON OVERVIEWCommon Core Alignment
The Common Core is a set of academic standards in subject disciplines, including English language arts and Social Studies, that outline what a student in the United States should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. Click below to see exactly how the content, questions, and activities within our lessons align with 6th-8th grade Common Core standards.